“Here.” The suit tossed him the keys.
How long do you think she has? I felt hopeless. We’d come all this way for nothing. How the hell could we finish this curse if we couldn’t reveal the next set of pages?
I don’t know. Aidan took my hand and squeezed. But we’ll do every damn thing we can for her.
I glanced at the three girls beside me. Pure agony filled their faces. I wasn’t the only one who’d lost hope.
Tears poured down the girl’s face as she clutched her neck to stop the bleeding. Her hands, shirt, and even her jeans were drenched in blood. Hell, there was so much blood that the metallic scent saturated the air where we were.
The huge guy moved closer to her. She flinched and fell to her ass. He ignored her and unchained her wrists and ankles.
She scooted away from him, her hands slipping from her throat.
Several deep chuckles came from the onlookers.
It made me sick. These were the depraved type of people who enjoyed watching their own kind die right in front of their eyes? Any chance of us fixing things was dwindling with every second.
“Stop fighting me.” The tall man grabbed the girl by the waist. “You’ll only make things worse.”
“How many men do you want to go with you?” the suit asked as the man threw the girl over her shoulder.
Now blood flowed down her face and into her hair.
“No, just me.” The tall guy took off into the woods, heading to our left. “I need to question her before she’s too far gone. I’ll alert you if I need backup.” The guy didn’t stop walking or bother turning back to ensure they’d listened. He expected them to.
This was our only chance. Maybe Amethyst could heal her enough to save her life. Granted, if it was a fatal wound, no witch could undo the damage.
I leaned over and motioned for the group to follow him. Ivory was at the far end and understood immediately. She took off in the alpha’s direction, making sure to keep a slow enough pace so the witches could be careful.
We intercepted the alpha’s scent and followed closely behind. As long as the breeze didn’t shift, he wouldn’t smell us until it was too late.
Our group could easily overtake one wolf shifter if we hit him hard before he alerted the pack. If he contacted his pack, we’d have to get the hell out of there before his backup arrived.
The woods grew denser again as we hurried for several long minutes. If it hadn’t been for his strong scent, we would’ve lost him. How far away will he take her from the pack? I’d expected maybe a mile or two, tops.
Not sure, but this is strange. Aidan was right behind me, keeping an eye out for any threats that might come from behind. He has to be up to something.
That was my thinking as well.
Ivory lifted her hand and pointed in front of her.
I was sure we must be close. Our group spread out amongst the trees but kept in sight of one another.
I looked at the girl. Blood covered her face. With shaky hands, she used her sleeve to try to wipe it out from her eyes.
“What …” She paused and winced, clutching her neck once more. She tried again. “What do you want?” Pain flicked through her eyes, and her shoulders sagged, but her fierce will to survive was strong. “I’m not telling you shit. It’s not like it’ll do me any good.”
“Stop with the dramatics.” The tall guy rolled his eyes. “We’ve got to figure a way out of this mess.”
“What are you talking about?” The girl’s chest heaved as if she were holding a sob in.
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead right now, not talking.” The alpha guy blew out a breath and frowned.
“Wait … I’m bleeding out here.” The girl removed her hands from her throat and looked at the red that covered them.
“It’s a superficial cut. I didn’t hit an artery. You’re fine.” The guy’s voice was gruff.
Holy shit. This couldn’t be true … could it? There was only one way to find out. Hope sprung throughout my chest once more. I stepped out from behind the tree, alerting them to my presence.
Dammit, Emma. Aidan growled as he moved beside me.
The alpha turned and narrowed his eyes at me. “Who the hell are you two?”
“We’re not here to cause trouble, we’re just here for her.” I pointed to the girl.
His jade eyes flashed at the girl. “Are they part of your pack?”
“What? No.” She shook her head and stared at me. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
The breeze changed directions, and the alpha stiffened as he sniffed the air. “How many of you are there?”
I guessed our jig was up.
The other ten stepped from the shadows.
“I can call my pack.” The tall guy scowled at me.
“Bullshit.” He was trying to alpha me, and I couldn’t let it happen. I stepped closer to him, wanting him to know he didn’t intimidate me. The closer I got, the more I realized Aidan had an inch on him.
The guy’s eyes narrowed, and something like respect flashed in them. “What do you want?”
“Her.” Aidan stepped beside me, wanting to make it clear we were a package deal. “We don’t give a shit about you or your pack.”
“Oh, that’s so comforting.” The guy crossed his arms. “You’re not getting her.”
“You fucking cut me.” The girl’s eyes widened, and she stumbled in my direction. “I’d rather take my chances with them.”
“Look, my pack can’t find out I didn’t kill you.” The guy paced.
Gabby arched an eyebrow. “Then why did you save her?”
“I don’t know.” The guy grabbed a fistful of his hair. “I had every damn intention of killing her, but when I went for it … I couldn’t.”
Do you think she’s his mate? It was a pattern.
Maybe. Aidan nibbled on his bottom lip. We can use this to our advantage.
“You still cut me, psycho,” the girl growled and winced.
“To protect you,” The alpha huffed. “If I hadn’t, they would’ve taken matters into their own hands and killed you on the spot.”
“He’s right about that.” Remus nodded. “They’re The Hallowed Guild.”
“How do you know that?” The alpha stiffened, and his jaw clenched.
“Because we were part of the society too.” Remus pointed at Ivory and then himself.
“And so was I.” Aidan nodded. Don’t mention who my father is. I don’t trust him.
“May I heal her?” Amethyst took a hesitant step forward, ready for disgust to cross the alpha’s face.
He didn’t disappoint as he lifted his head with a scowl. “Fine, but I’m watching you.”
The girl smiled as Amethyst slowly walked over to her.
“At least she doesn’t seem to hate us,” Coral grumbled, not happy with the alpha’s reaction.
“If you’re part of the society, how are you here with them?” The alpha turned his nose up at the red-headed witch.
“Because we found our mates who …” Aidan trailed off. Maybe we shouldn’t …
No, I agreed with his initial decision. “Their mates are marked.”